The two best tennis players in the world – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – collide Sunday in the men’s final at the Miami Tennis Masters. It’s the 40th edition of their great rivalry and it’s a fitting conclusion to a wild first three months of the tennis season.

Nadal has the edge here in the series leading 22-17, however Djokovic has gotten the better of Rafa of late. Djokovic has won two straight post-US Open and since the start of 2011 he’s 10-6 against the Spaniard, a run that includes an incredible Miami title over Rafa in 2011.

“My thoughts are always the same,” Nadal said about Novak. “The only chance to win against Novak is to play to the limit, play my best. I will see. I know I have to be solid with my serve. I need to play aggressive, no doubt about that.”

And after a shaky start to the season, Djokovic seems to have found his game after winning Indian Wells over Roger Federer. And without new coach Boris Becker – who Djokovic keeps defending every chance he gets! – the Serb has run off 31 straight match wins since the US Open.

Nadal began the year in excellent form taking Doha, but then his season got derailed by a back injury in the Australian Open final. He fought through a Rio title in his return but then got bitten by the dog, Alexandr Dolgopolov, at Indian Wells. He’s playing better now, though.

“In general, I think I played more solid than what I did in Indian Wells and Rio and I played with better movement too,” said Nadal. “I lost my serve only one time during the whole tournament and that’s very important for me on this surface.”

With the back issue in the rearview, Nadal looks downright nasty on these slow, heavy courts in Miami. But it’s a place he’s surprisingly never won at while his opposition has been crowned champion three times.

“Miami is a very important tournament that I never had the chance to win in the past,” said Nadal. “It is my fourth final, by the way. Positive results. To be able to play four finals in one tournament is because you did well, and I’m going to try to be ready for Sunday.”

At the start of the event I had Djokovic winning here. And even though I think Nadal is playing better now than Novak, I just think Djokovic somehow wins this. But it will start with Novak’s serve and then with his backhand down-the-line. If neither of those are clicking Nadal will win this easily. He’ll need both to be online if he’s to take a fourth Miami title.

“I have seen a couple matches of Rafa’s [this week],” said Djokovic. “He’s hitting the ball really well, feeling confident on this court. He’s never won this tournament, so I think that is extra motivation for him.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Djokovic said. “I’m going to be very well rested and physically prepared for Sunday.”

And the rest part is somewhat worrisome. Djokovic has played just three matches in Miami after two his guys withdrew. And he now hasn’t played since the Andy Murray win on Wednesday. So there is some concern there – we remember when Fognini withdrew from the French in 2011 and I still think that hurt Novak’s rhythm!

But Nadal also had a withdrawal yesterday so maybe they offset, it’s hard to say though I think both would rather have played and won than to have advanced via a walkover.

That said, I think this is a huge statement match for both players. It’s their first meeting of the season and for my money this single match will ultimately determine who takes the No. 1 ranking at the end of the year. It will either validate Novak’s return to form or it will validate Nadal is still the best player as we head into the clay.

And here I think it goes Novak’s way for the simple reason that he’s the better player on the hardcourts. But he’s going to absolutely have to play well, because we know Nadal will.The pick: Djokovic in three

Nole in 3,yeah pretty much what i wouldve expected Sean to say,and i agree Rafas crap on HCs anyway,and Noles invincible,not only on HCs but everywhere else too,last years HC wins for Rafa were vastly overated anyway,lets just give the trophy to Nole now,and not even bother with the final..

Alison, your constant whining about Sean’s picks is getting annoying. It’s a prediction. It means nothing to the actual match. Sean picked Nadal to beat Djokovic in the US Open final, why don’t you praise him for it? He even called it in 4 sets.

As for the withdraw, who knows? Nadal told the commentators yesterday to ask him after the match how it affected him. Sean and others think it hurt Djokovic at the French in 2011. I personally think it hurt Federer in 2012 at the US Open when Fish withdrew then he lost to Berdych. Sometimes it disrupts rhythm, sometimes it doesn’t. There’s no way of knowing for sure, even for the players themselves.

James like Sean says Rafas only lost serve once,so hes looked very good all week,and served very well all week,it was only a DF that gifted the set to Raonic the other night eventually,i havent really seen much of Novak to judge how well hes playing or serving..

Yeah may the best man win,unlike some i dont believe whichever player wins or loses means its testament to which way that the rest of the year will go though,as alot can happen between now and the end of the season,Roger has looked very good so far this season,and Andy and Stan have another level to go up yet,and there are some young players begining to make some noise now.

Sometimes i dont like to get my hopes up about things,that way im not too dissapointed,nor do i want to give people the satifaction of gloating,ill leave all that to others,sometimes its the way to live peacefully on this forum,and i cant be bothered with the hassle anymore.

If both players entered this match at the same levels of confidence, I’d give the edge to Nadal but he showed some mental lapses against Raonic especially double faulting twice that gave away the first set.

I think Djokovic will win it but I thought the same last summer in Montreal (which I was lucky enough to attend) and we all know how that one turned out.

The way I see Rafa/Novak matches……they are so equally matched up as players it’s really hard to predict who will win if both are playing lights out tennis. A little luck here and there can change the complexion of a real close match. I won’t predict the winner…….I will watch calmly….and hope my guy is playing like I know he can. They both bring out the best in each other imo…….kidding about being calm!! Lol

Okiegal i wont actually see the final,as im going to see my in laws for the day,my father in laws not too good he has dementia,so i will record the match and watch it when i get home,i have no unrealistic expectations,and im not getting my hopes up,whatever will be will be..

Thanks John,i think your right it is all getting a bit much lately TBH,i am saying things i wish i hadnt,but when you hit the submit button its all too late,the joy sometimes goes out of posting,and i end up taking it out on other players and posters,also issues in the real world,time for a sabatical i think,thanks for the post,and i hope you enjoy the tennis too,speak soon :))..

I will receive your Happy Mum’s day wish and forward it to May 11th and thanks! So sorry about your father-in-law. My mother-in-law will be 97 in July. She knows us all but just lays in bed.

You have a good day tomorrow and I totally understand where you are coming from about being realistic about the match. These two are so equal in talent it could go either way. I also understand your feelings about TX……think I’m done for awhile myself!!

too hard to tell. depends on how solid and firm nole plays in my opinion…nadal will play like nadal. so he will not give anything away till the last point…he is nadal and will look with angry face from the start. focused point for point

Rafa is better on hc than djokivic is on clay, I have no doubt about it.
the extra pression here is for the serb who is the king of these slow hc. but Rafa wants win Miami badly and this is an extra motivation for him, also, until now, this tournamnet is a maldition for all the spanih players.
Somehow, Rafa will win 3 tights sets.

This tournament has turned into a joke. Rule should be that if a player cannot complete a tournament they lose their points for the level they didn’t play and they are replaced by other player in previous bracket that they played. Ridiculous that two players pulled out. Makes the whole tournament a joke IMO

It is 50:50 with the way Rafa is playing in this tournament. Novak might have the slight edge but it will boil down ultimately to the form of the player at the moment. Just one or two UEs at crucial junctures could change the contours of the match just like what happened with Novak Vs Andy. So, luck too plays an important role in such close encounters. But, both for Novak and Rafa, this Miami win would be special since Novak would be completing the coveted double for the second time while Rafa if he goes on to win will be treasuring his first Miami Masters title. So, it is indeed a special day for both the players.

Rafa in 2. He has beaten nobodys mostly, playing on the slowest hc court on tour, and is not complaining about anything. Unless he mis-aligns his water bottles and forgets to bring a change of shirt on court, he will win.
However, if by chance he loses, his hc results in the annals of history will continue to prove the weaknesses of his style. No worries, Mud and dirt is around the corner. Vamuesli.

Rafa Nadal is definitely a top 10 on hard courts in the open era. The one who is decreasing its achievements on the surface or is a troll who hates everything he does or does not know anything about tennis and how to win games.
Bill Tilden (besides his horrible behavior) was a genius. once said:
“Never change a winning game, always change a losing one.”
Enough said.

Injuries and pull outs are part of the game; it does get gruelling sometimes and these things happen.

What would have been a joke is Nole and Rafa pulling out and Nishikori and Berdych playing for the title. THAT would have been a travesty. What we have is an inevitable final, the two best – who would have wound up here anyway; do you really doubt that? – and they are both very well rested.

I would go with Rafa on this one. He seems to be hitting the DTL FH much better, When that shot is on, he pretty much neutralize Novak’s BH CC, which was THE shot of 2011 against Nadal. It would be tighter, but I would not be surprised if Nadal takes this in 2 sets.

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I would go with Rafa on this one. He seems to be hitting the DTL FH much better,
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Yes, against lesser players who can’t apply pressure and move him around as Novak can. I’ll go with van Orten on this one.
“Too hard to tell. Depends on now solid and firm Nole plays in my opinion…”
If Novak does one of his walkabouts, then Nadal is winning his first Miami title.

Nole was basically putting the ball back and hoping for an error from Murray. But whenever Murray was aggressive in his groundstrokes Nole was unstable. But Murray’s FH was not consistent enough to attack Nole’s FH.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmR6K-zqP1Q

If Rafa finds his IO FH and puts pressure on Nole’s FH then advantage Rafa.

If Rafa’s groundstrokes are not consistenly aggressive then advantage Nole. As of today Nole is the better defender of the two.

If Rafa is hitting shots like he did against Istomin I think he has a good chance of beating Novak on his best surface.Rafa was really on target that night with everything. But these two are so equal to each other talent wise, predicting a winner??? I can’t do it. We will see. I hope for a good tight match. If my guy wins….I will be a happy camper!!

He was playing with him because he was the only left-hander available to practice with. However, it wasn’t the best decision especially after all the Troicki controversy. And to have his photo snapped with him! I bet you the rest of the top players would’ve avoided Odesnik like the plague.

Variety is Novak’s kryptonite. Hence his problem’s with Federer’s game. If Nadal ever falls to his “hit forehand to opponent’s backhand” strategy, he. Will lose. So varying his serve, groundstokes will net him his first Miami title.

When I was 17 my foster father borrowed $40 from me. He paid me back with a cheque where he had written “Fourty” instead of “Forty.” I told him he had spelled the word wrong to which he replied, “If the bank won’t accept it then I’ve spelled it wrong.”

Do you not know what the title of Sean’s article means Colin? Really? Is it really another nail in the coffin if the English language? How smug you are.

If you are looking for perfection in language please go elsewhere; you won’t find it here; this is a tennis blog for goodness sakes.

we all know djoker self destruct at roland garros 2013 and above all self destruct at us open 2013 when having the 3rd set practically in his pocket, it is on his racquet almost all the time when playing nadal,. at least since 2011

Just a sporadic post,as i have been away for the day,and not bailing out on Rafa before people say anything,and just to say congrats to all the lovely Nole fans on the forum Courbon,Patson and abscent friends Harry, Jane,Wogboy,Mat4 etc etc,no complaints the better player won the match,if i dont blog for a while its due to my father in law been quite ill,and nothing to do with bailing out on Rafa,congrats again..

Everyone was talking about how Djokovic hadn’t won a title in the first 2 months or whatever but for the 4th straight year, Djokovic has won at least 2 of his first 4 titles. IW-Miami double is never easy. Djokovic definitely finding his game again.

I would also point out that djoker played an absolutely brutal 5 set match in the duo semis against wawa. That helped Nadal. Nadal fans should definitely have sent wawa a nice Xmas gift last year for that match.

Commiseration to all Rafa fans but specially to Spice Girls ( you know who you are…), Brando and James.Well, clay season is starting so that’s your silver lining.
Vurtual high-five to Nole fans , Patson , Harry, Mat4 and all others

You be nice to Baby Spice!! LOL I don’t post anything while Rafa is playing but I sent you a congrats a minute ago. Did it not make it overseas? LOL Novak was too good today. I’m going to watch my recorded match of last year’s USO!! Ha ha…..then I will feel better! Congrats again!! I’m a good loser, just like Rafa???

This is just one game,Rafa will bounce back,hes beaten Nole before and he will do it again,all credit to Nole as he played a fantastic match in the final,but lets not make it bigger than what it is,the seasons still young,and im sure Rafa,Andy,Stan etc,all have another level to go up yet.

@Okiegal:I just seen your post! You are very good loser, indeed.Novak was in the zone today-nobody could beat him today.Well, good luck next time-I’m sure Rafa will come back from this loss.He always does.

Nole seems to be the only guy that I can see that handles Rafa’s major weapon, his FH. His tactics (when “on”) are fantastic from the back court and for the most part plays Rafa’s FH well.
On a side note, wonder how good Rafa would be with just a normal FH? The rest of his game is not that impressive imo.

Nole played at an amazing level . After a few jittery games , he was all over Nadal.thre match point was the point of the match as well.Fairly high level of tennis from Nadal – good enough to give a tight fight to anyone else bar Nole.
If Nole carries the same level of play to the clay courts , expect some very tough competition for Nadal.

Do you think your guy knows the rule about hitting the ball on the other side of the net? If you posted an opinion about this I guess I missed it. Just curious what you think. I don’t think he’s a cheater by any means, but think it rather odd that the rule was in question….since he’s played tennis for years.

I don’t agree. I think the Federer-Djokovic rivalry is as epic as any and the Murray-Djokovic rivalry is still young but also well contested. The Djokovic-Nadal rivalry carries more weight as the two are close in age and are currently the cream of the crop. But to say there’s only 1 real rivalry is selling the other guys short.

Ben – Federer still has to prove he can get in a position to play Djokovic; there’s a 50-50 chance he winds up against Nadal, and we all know how that turns out. Great IW final, true, but he didn’t get out of the quarters against Nishikori in Miami, so really – how many more do we expect to see?

The way Rafa and Nole are playing I predict we see more finals (that’s the only place they can meet) between them than Nole-Fed matches. We might get one of the latter, if we’re lucky.

And Murray’s head still allows him to collapse like a cheap tent. Until he proves otherwise I am selling him short.

@gordon
I think Andy and Nole are much closer than you suggest. That first set was highly competitive. And Andy’s collapse probably had more to do with the after effects of his back operation tbh. eg He didn’t collapse at the USOpen against Nole. I just don’t think he’s fully fit yet. Jez Green is on record as saying it’ll be a couple more months before he’s fully fit.
I can’t wait for the clay season. There’s no pressure whatsoever on Andy and the chance to pick up some points. He did well at the Davis Cup, so here’s hoping.
Big, big congrats to Nole and hugs to Rafa fans.